The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillandale Elementary
Hillandale Elementary is a small public elementary serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Durham, North Carolina. The school sits in a neighborhood setting in the northern part of the city, at the edge of a walkable corridor anchored by the North Regional Library.
The student body is nearly entirely economically disadvantaged, with an overwhelming majority of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is about evenly split between Black and Hispanic students, with a smaller share of white students and very small numbers of Asian students and those identifying as multiracial. This composition reflects both Durham's demographic makeup and the particular neighborhood the school serves.
State test results from the most recent year show proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science that all fall in the low to mid range. In math, roughly a third of students tested reached proficiency. In English language arts, just over a third reached proficiency. In science, results were similar. These are the state assessment results for grades three through five; state testing data for the younger grades is not available because those grades are not part of North Carolina's regular testing program. A parent should be aware these results indicate the school is below the typical proficiency level and may want to look into the school's specific support systems for struggling readers and mathematicians, especially given the district's recent shift to Science of Reading instructional approaches.
Durham Public Schools has mandated explicit, systematic phonics-based reading instruction across all elementary schools, with required daily instructional minutes for each grade level and regular curriculum fidelity walkthroughs. This pedagogy change means reading instruction at Hillandale follows a district-wide model designed around structured decoding and word-study before deeper comprehension work. Parents interested in how the school implements this approach can ask the principal directly about classroom practices and how students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks are identified and supported.
Durham itself is a mid-sized city in sustained growth, anchored by Duke University and Duke Health. The housing market in the school's zip code is moderately valued, and rental costs are notably moderate for a college town. The city has a strong downtown with restored tobacco-warehouse districts, a creative food and startup culture, and expanding public transit. Families in Hillandale's attendance zone are in neighborhoods that vary from older residential blocks closer to Duke Park and downtown to more suburban subdivisions toward the county edge.
The district faces structural pressures that affect all its schools. Durham Public Schools has announced plans to study and potentially consolidate older elementary schools to address deferred maintenance costs. While Hillandale is not currently named for closure, the district has placed a broader set of schools on a watch list, and another bond referendum may be proposed to fund consolidation and rebuilding. For families evaluating this school, this means understanding that the physical building and attendance zone could change within the next few years. Additionally, the district experienced a significant payroll and labor relations crisis in 2024 that led to school closures and ongoing renegotiation of salary structures and labor practices, a backdrop that affects staff retention and morale that parents experience in the building.
See more original research from School Decision →